Firing position indicator for use in adjusting valve clearances



April 10, 1956 L. E. BERRY 2,741,213

FIRING POSITION INDICATOR FOR USE IN ADJUSTING VALVE CLEARANCES Filedon. a, 1953 Fig./

I k S 0 1 Leonard E. Berry INVEN TOR.

United States Patent 9 FIRING POSITION INDICATOR FOR USE IN ADJUSTINGVALVE CLEARANCES Leonard E. Berry, Corcoran, Calif.

Application October 8, 1953, Serial No. 384,925

3 Claims. (Cl. 116-424) The present invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in tools for use in adjusting valve clearances of enginesand more particularly to an indicator having means for connecting to thecam shaft to show successively the firing position of the severalpistons in order to accurately adjust the clearance for the valves.

An important object of the invention is to provide a pointer for theindicator associated with a dial marked with the position of each valveand equipping the pointer with an actuating gear for connection with thecam shaft in place of and after removal of the engine distributor.

A further object is to provide a device of this character of simple andpractical construction, which is efiicient and reliable in operation,relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for thepurpose for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view;

Figure 3 is a top plan view showing the indicator mounted on the engine;and

Figure 4 is a front elevational view thereof with the distributorhousing broken away and shown in section.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein for the purpose ofillustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention,the numeral 5 designates a shaft having a Worm gear 6 secured at oneend.

A pointer 7 is secured to the other end of the shaft and overlies a dial8 which is formed at its underside with a sleeve 9 and which is mountedon the shaft for independent turning movement relative to the shaft. Thedial and sleeve are held in position adjacent the pointer by means ofcollars 10 and 11 secured to the shaft respectively above the dial andbelow the sleeve. The upper surface of the dial is marked with radiallines 12 adjacent to which are numbers 13 representing the intake andexhaust valves of an engine in their closed position in the successivefiring order of the pistons of the engine.

In the operation of the device, the engine distributor (not shown) isremoved from the tubular distributor shaft housing 16 of the engine 17and the shaft 5 mounted in the housing and with the worm gear 6 meshingwith the worm 18 of the cam shaft for turning shaft 5 in the same manneras that of the distributor shaft. Lower collar 11 is tapered, as shownat 14, to hold the shaft 5 tightly in position in the distributor shafthousing of the engine.

The engine crank shaft is then turned until number 1 piston is in firingposition, as indicated by the usual timing mark 19 and stationary timingpin 20. Dial 8 is then turned and locked by the distributor locking bolt15, in position with the pointer 7 alined with the valve on the dialwhich corresponds with said piston, whereupon said valve may beaccurately adjusted. The crankshaft is then progressively turned toindicate the closed position of the remaining valves for successivelyadjusting the same.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A piston position indicator comprising in combination, an engine camshaft having a gear secured thereto, an indicator shaft having a gear atone end engaging the first named gear for operatively connecting saidshafts to each other, a pointer at the other end of the indicator shaftfor swinging about the axis of the latter by the turning of the camshaft, a dial supported on the indicator shaft in indicating position bythe pointer, said dial being independently rotatable on the indicatorshaft, and means locking the dial in rotatably adjusted position to astationary part of the engine.

2. A piston position indicator comprising in combination, an engineblock having a cam shaft therein and said lock also having an openingadjacent a gear on the cam shaft, an indicator shaft having a taperedcollar closely fitted in said opening to support the indicator shaftcentered in the opening, a gear at the lower end of the indicator shaftengaging the first named gear, a pointer secured to the upper end of theindicator shaft for swinging about the axis of the latter by the turningof the cam shaft, a dial mounted on the indicator shaft in indicatingposition by the pointer, said dial being being independently rotatableon the indicator shaft, and means locking the dial in rotatably adjustedposition to a stationary part of the engine.

3. A piston position indicator comprising in combination, an engineblock having a tubular distributor shaft housing and a cam shaft drivengear in the housing, an indicator shaft mounted in the housing afterremoval of the distributor therefrom, a gear at the inner end of theindicator shaft engaging said first named gear, a dial supported inrotatably adjusted position by the indicator shaft, and a pointerattached to the outer end of the indicator shaft and supported inindicating position with respect to the dial.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,461,671 Page July 10, 1923 1,772,829 Grampaoli Aug. 12, 1930 1,823,883Bleecker Sept. 22, 1931 2,218,048 Meyer Oct. 15, 1940 2,437,283 ViersMar. 29, 1948 2,443,135 Glotfelty June 8, 1948

